What have you guys been up to recently? I’m in the work – home – eat – TV – bed – repeat routine. Does that sound familiar? Since I’m at my parents’ house for the duration, we are all in this routine together. At this point I’ve been there more than three weeks and I’m worried we’re starting to reach the end of the TV we can watch together. If you’re social distancing with anyone else, I’m sure you understand the feeling. My mom wants happy, heartfelt, funny programming with characters that are easy to love. My dad wants that and he can also hang with some sci fi, which my mom has no interest in but I’m into, and he loves watching car shows, which my mom and I don’t care about at all and make fun of him for. I want something funny, which my mom and dad might deem “mean funny”, I’m ok with characters I’m not sure I like, and I love a good thriller that might be too violent for my mom. I’m also happy with some mushy stuff, and craft competition shows, both of which my mom love, and my dad says bore him and/or make him too nervous.

But you know what helps us agree that your show might not be SO BAD and my show might be A LITTLE cool, and ok, ok let’s watch your show? Cheese and wine. So predictable, but it’s seriously true! Believe me, I have thoroughly tested this theory. If you’re eating a cracker with a swoosh of the creamy, dreamy Robiola Due Latte and sipping on a glass of chilled Caneva di Nani, an all-natural prosecco that tastes of lemon and baked brioche, arguments are put to rest, and suddenly you’re just grinning at each other.

Soft cheese or bubbly wine not your thing? Maybe the punchy, sharp, sweet Aged Bloomsday will catch your TV watchers’ attention. It is one of our zippiest cheeses, so it’s hard not to be completely enveloped by the flavors and forget about whose show is better than whose. Although Aged Bloomsday is very enjoyable on its own, it featured heavily in my quest last summer to find a good wine pairing with cheddar (Bloomsy isn’t technically a cheddar, but it’s cheddar-like). My favorite pairing that I found in my research (ha) was this cheese with Ultraviolet, a cabernet sauvignon from Napa. I wasn’t surprised the two were friends because a big cheese needs a wine with some oomph, but I was surprised at how much I liked Ultraviolet since I’m not generally a Napa cab person. However, like a TV show my parents and I can agree on, I think this wine has something for anyone – those unsure about cab, like me, and California Cabernet Sauvignon lovers, too. It is a little fresher than the really big cabs, but it is still very hearty, tasting of blackberries, spice, and a bit of smoke. The fruit from the wine smooths out the sharpness in the cheese, and the brightness of the cheese enlivens the wine. After a few cubes of Aged Bloomsday and a couple glasses of Ultraviolet, everybody’s TV preferences suddenly seem more acceptable.

Bring out these pairings, or any wine and cheese really, and watch your TV strife disappear! I guarantee it! Well, maybe that’s a bit strong, no guarantees here, but I’d be very surprised if the careful application of cheese and wine to a TV argument didn’t alleviate the tension and replace it with eating and drinking bliss.

For the love of cheese and finding a show, any show,

Kiri

P.S. - If you have watched a TV show or movie with people of disparate TV desires, PLEASE tell me what it is! My parents and I are constantly hunting for the next thing.

Netflix & Cheese